8 former Chiefs among 122 modern-era nominees for 2020 Hall of Fame class

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced 122 modern-era nominees for its 2020 class.

To honor the 100th anniversary of the league’s founding, the Hall of Fame Selection Committee voted to suspend their bylaws related to class size. The centennial celebration will include 20 members inducted for the 2020 class. The modern era covers all players who played after the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Later the Hall will announce senior, contributor and coaching candidates.

Of the 122 modern-era finalists, the following eight players spent time with the Chiefs:

QB Dave Krieg

RB Priest Holmes

OG Brian Waters

K Nick Lowery

DT Chester McGlockton

DE Leslie O’Neal

DE Neil Smith

CB Albert Lewis

The next step in the process is to whittle down these 122 players to 25 semifinalists and 15 finalists. Eventually, they’ll choose just five players from the list of 122. Here’s how that process will work:

The modern-era players list will be reduced to 25 Semifinalists in November and to 15 Finalists in early January 2020. The finalists will then be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting on “Selection Saturday,” the day before Super Bowl LIV.

Of the former Chiefs players listed, several could have a strong chance for enshrinement in 2020. Brian Waters, for instance, is being inducted into the Chiefs’ Hall of Fame this season.

Holmes, Lowery, Smith and Lewis could also have strong arguments for making it into the Hall of Fame next year. With an expanded class it opens up the discussion on the backlog of players that the Selection Committee is working through.